Family had hired maid 4 days ago

The kidnapping of a four-year-old boy from Eldeco Mansion on Sohna Road on Tuesday by the domestic help and her husband has yet again highlighted the need for servant verifications by the police.

The child, Sambhav Sharma, was safely rescued from the clutches of the kidnappers within one-and-a-half hours of the crime from Palwal district.

The accused - Pooja, 22, and Devilal, 25 - are natives of Rathiwas village near Bilaspur. Pooja was hired by the Sharma family four days ago on the reference of the local security guard. The family had bought an Audi car on the same day.

According to the police, the accused brutally assaulted the boy's mother, Shipra Sharma, 27, before handcuffing her and fleeing with Sambhav in the family's i-10 car.

The duo, who also decamped with jewellery and other valuables, had demanded R5 lakh as ransom from the parents.

The Gurgaon police tracked the culprits with the help of their Palwal counterparts. Their location was traced after the mobiles were put on surveillance.

According to eyewitness Ajay Kanchan, a resident of Eldeco Mansion, "Shipra was running towards the gate with her hands tied. She was tied up with towels, a dupatta, ropes etc."

The boy's father, Bhavishya Sharma, 33, is a management consultant and runs an executive placement firm in Gurgaon. He had gone to work at the time of the incident.

Gurgaon police commissioner Alok Mittal said the security guard did not stop Pooja when she was leaving in the car as he thought she was taking Sambhav out for some work.

"There were no CCTV cameras on the exit gates of the locality," Mittal added.

Joint commissioner of police Maheswar Dayal, who was leading the team that cracked the case, said, "The accused couple was married for the last five years and had previously worked in two other houses in the same colony. They were in search of a house where a woman was alone during the day so that they could execute their plan. The accused claimed they hatched the kidnapping plan as they were under debt."

Dayal added, "The duo had taken the child towards Bilaspur and Faridabad. The accused had also rammed two cars while speeding towards Palwal."

Police officials said they got information about a recklessly driven car coming from Faridabad. the stolen i-10 car as well as the valuables and jewellery have been recovered.